FAQs
Q: |
What is Welcome Homeschool Group? |
A: |
Welcome Homeschool Group is an all volunteer non-profit group that seeks to provide a community of social and educational support for active homeschooling families in and around the Alamance County area. Our membership includes all ages of children, and all sizes and demographics of families. The group's day to day administration is operated by a volunteer leadership team, and all of our events are facilitated by volunteers from among our member families. Examples of events that may be hosted within the group are: - Field trips to area attractions such as museums, aquariums, historic landmarks, battlefield, the NC Capitol, and wildlife facilities - Kick Off Celebration - Holiday Parties - Service Projects - Women of Excellence social events for homeschooling mothers - Kayaking and hiking - Chess and board game club - Middle and High School socials and dances - Fall Festival - Coding workshop - Tours of area facilities, such as libraries, banks, and fire departments - Book clubs - Science, History, or Literature Fairs - Spelling or Geography Bees - Clubs, such as Writing, Anatomy, and Zoo - And more Our events and activities are limited to our member families. Annual membership in Welcome Homeschool Group allows you and your family access to our private event calendar, homeschooling workshops, as well as to our full website, which includes member forums, the ability to print a family membership card, a list of area resources including outside area classes and enrichment opportunities, and participation in homeschooling workshops. Often times, our member events and field trips allow us to access group programming at museums and attractions where a minimum group size would otherwise be required.
|
Q: |
How does Welcome Homeschool Group operate? |
A: |
In as simple of terms as possible, we harness our numbers to build opportunities. Homeschools don't have PTAs or school boards with access to other people's money. Any activities that we want our children or families to participate in we have to organize and fund completely on our own. As a single family, that can get expensive, especially if you have to rent community rooms for workshops or front the cost for supplies for field day, and anyone who has ever tried to plan a field trip with random people on social media knows that you don't get financial commitments from everyone who expressed interest. Most museums require a minimum group size to secure programming, and that can be difficult to meet on your own, and might even leave you on the hook for paying for empty spots. However, when you belong to a social club like Welcome Homeschool Group, you have people available to piggy back on your interests, opening up access to more programming and giving your family the opportunity to make new friends with a shared love of homeschooling. Anything that they can do in public or private schools, we can do within our group. Prom, driver's ed, class trips to the Aquarium, service clubs, sports, they're all in reach! In addition to our website fees, Welcome's dues can be used to rent community space for our homeschooling events and workshops, to pay for materials for field day or awards for a Science Fair, to put down deposits for field trips or purchase supplies for service projects, and to help support our members in whatever clubs, workshops, and events they feel called to organize. In addition, one of the most useful features of Welcome is our website. No more having to keep track of signups and payments for your event, everything can be done within the website's calendar. Things really are so much easier when we join together as a community of volunteers to create the community that we want for our own families! |
Q: |
What are the qualifications for membership in Welcome Homeschool Group? |
A: |
An individual subscribing to the purposes of the Group and meeting the following qualifications will be eligible for membership in the Group:
|
Q: |
Does Welcome Homeschool Group require a signed Statement of Faith? |
A: |
Members of Welcome Homeschool Group are not required to sign a Statement of Faith, however, a social club that seeks to socialize peacefully requires a mutual understanding. We have members of all backgrounds and religion/no religion, and while we do not ask or require that you adopt these beliefs, all members of Welcome Homeschool Group must agree to understand that the Leadership Team (Board) seeks to guide The Group according to the Biblical principles on which the group was founded, which are centered around the following Core Beliefs:
For the purposes of Welcome Homeschool Group social club, the Leadership Team will serve as the final authority on the interpretation of the Bible and the Core Beliefs if/as it pertains to group governance.
|
Q: |
What is expected of me as a member? |
A: |
We have just a few important expectations within our community: Stay current on your annual dues, volunteer to plan or assist with the events as required in the membership agreement, and honor your committments to attend events that you have signed up for. 1) Dues: Dues are payable each year at a 2023-2024 rate of $30 per nuclear family. Our fues are nonrefundable. Our membership year will run from August 1-July 31, and dues will not be prorated. You'll receive emails during our annual re-registration drive to remind you that it's time to renew! 2) Volunteerism: The Welcome Homeschool Group is a place where all of our members work together to make the group fun and interesting, as well as a place of support and encouragement. We believe that each member has gifts to offer the group, and as such, members are expected to volunteer in some capacity with events that their family chooses to attend/participate in. We would like to share with you ideas on how you can effectively be a part of this awesome organization.
3) Honoring committments: Members are expected to show respect for the effort that others have made to organize activities by following through with any sign up committments that they have made to our calendar events. We have a policy on "no shows" to protect the investment of our activity organizers, and the group at large. This policy is detailed in your member agreement, and we strongly encourage you to be familiar with it.
|
Q: |
What is Welcome Homeschool Group's Sign up/Commitment Policy? |
A: |
It is important for a group that is dependent on the volunteerism of others that a policy exists which insists that members follow through with any commitments made to the group in terms of attending fieldtrips, parties, events, etc. Signing up for a calendar event constitutes making a committment to attend. It is not a statement of interest, or a "maybe". If, for some reason, you find that you will be unable to attend an event that you have previously signed up for, please contact the coordinator as soon as possible, so that plans can be adjusted and/or businesses alerted. Tours paid in advance, and beyond the payment deadline, can not be refunded. If a family fails to show up for a sign up event without notifing the coordinator prior to the start of that event, that family's membership will be "parked", and they will be required to pay a $5.00 fee to continue access to Welcome Homeschool Group's events and website. Likewise, if an individual or family's absence at an event causes the coordinator to have to make up a difference in funds after the reservation date and/or on the date of an event, your membership will be parked until such time that you return the funds related to your family's lack of attendance. Please be sure to honor your committments to the community, and do not sign up for an event unless you are planning to attend.
|
Q: |
How do I go about planning a field trip or other activity? |
A: |
We depend on our Welcome parents to plan events and field trips, and they do an awesome job! If you are new to the group, and want to set up an event or trip, here are some simple steps to help you get started.
If you aren't sure about something, or if you need help, email the leadership team. We are happy to help you. Our group continues to grow and we love it!! Your leadership team is here to assist you with planning and organizing (and members of the leadership team often organize events and volunteer to assist with events that other members have organized), but the actual facilitation of events is a function of the members of the group. Please remember that we are all volunteers, and that each member of the group bears a responsibility to help make Welcome Homeschool Group the type of group that you want it to be. Welcome's 2023-2024 Leadership Team includes: Jessica Simmons--Site Administrator Jill Raymond-- Website and Registration Coordinator Mandi Arneman-- Secretary of Treasury LaToya Castro-- Leadership Team Advisor We are looking forward to seeing the activities and field trips that our membership plans for 2023-2024. Thank you for all of your help!!
|